Well then, that must have been my problem because I did double the recipe!! I didn't realize you couldn't! I know you're not supposed to fool around with amounts in recipes so you keep the acid ratio correct, but where this was just strawberries and sugar and nothing else in the recipe I figured it was ok! I guess not! And I measured out 4 quarts of whole strawberries. The recipe was 2 quarts of strawberries and 6 cups of sugar. It didn't say to cut them or mash them before measuring - in fact (I'm remembering off the top of my head here as I don't have the book with me) it said to crush the strawberries one layer at a time and then to mix with the sugar, so it sounded to me like you measured the whole strawberries, then crushed them and that's what I did. I'm not going to fuss with what I already made - as I said, it won't go to waste as hubby will use it as pancake topping - we've even been known to plop a spoonful of jam in a bowl of oatmeal, so this stuff will work for that as well. But I'm glad I spoke up because for future adventures in jam, I wouldn't have known any of this and would probably have given up on it if I kept failing! And I thought it was weird that the jam recipe that used the pectin used an extra cup of sugar from the one without pectin. I've learned so much from just this thread - thanks so much guys! I want to take my next adventure into the realm of peaches! Peach jam sounds yummy and if I fail again, hubby does like peaches, so he'll have more pancake topping than he knows what to do with lol!! Lisa

It may be that the old apple is a Baldwin type. When I planted my apple trees a few years ago, I chose types that had a high resistance to diseases, as well as remaining firm when they were partially cooked or baked. Red Free, and Williams Pride are the two I chose. Right now, McCoun apples are in stores and these also hold up very well to cooking. If your making apple pie jam, use fresh apple cider for the added liquid as opposed to water. Add the chopped apple bits about a minute or two before you start filling the jars with the boiling jam. In most cases the apple bits will float in the jars, so flipping the jars over a few times before the jam sets up, will help to suspend the apple bits. Macs, get very mushy, and even Granny Smith also get quite mushy once they get heated. If your making an apple jam, use several different types of apples, from Fuji, Delicious, to Cortlands and others. The more the merrier!

Trudy, the beauty of only a bottom crust is that if it looks ugly or tears or whatever, you patch it and cover it with apples. If you want a top crust and it doesn't go well, just cut circles or diamonds or strips or little apples or whatever and put them on top and pretend you meant to do that! Those tiny cookie cutters are finally good for something, LOL. mare, thank you. It did taste as good as it looks and didn't last as long as I thought it would. (grin) I did post the recipe for Trudy on another thread but I'd be happy to post it again. I made it from this recipe, but skipped the top crust and instead of the powdered sugar/milk glaze made a maple glaze from powdered sugar, maple syrup and some maple extract (to taste). I also left out the cornflakes as I didn't have any and usually don't have any. It's good with or without them. The extra crust makes a second slab, or a top crust, your choice. It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge. Mine became a second apple "slab" as the first one was so good. The original recipe, I think, came from Midwest Living. Apple Slab 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1 egg yolk Milk 1 cup cornflakes 8 -10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups) 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 cup powdered sugar 3 -4 teaspoons milk In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 17x12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. Top evenly with apples. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Roll remaining dough to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. Cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent overbrowning. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars. Annie

I do freeze most pies unbaked, but I'm thinking of fruit pies. For pecan, as mentioned, I would bake first and the same for pumpkin. I wouldn't even attempt to freeze coconut cream. The one risk with a pre-baked and frozen pumpkin is that, depending upon the recipe and how thoroughly the custard filling was baked, it might tend to weep upon thawing, softening the pastry. You might consider coating the pastry with egg white or a similar "sealer" to reduce the problem. Or, if you like the flavor, you might sprinkle the crust with crushed gingersnaps (not too many) to absorb any liquid. I would do a dry-run for my pumpkin recipe of choice and see how it handles freezing and thawing. I have had good luck flash-freezing, wrapping and stacking pie shells and then baking and filling the day of. For pumpkin custard, about 30 minutes of room-temperature thawing then filling and baking as per usual seems to work well. A pastry shell would hold its shape much better and be flakier if it were frozen and then baked. I did test that with a banana cream pie, warming the crust 30 minutes then pre-baking. For the pre-baking I did fill a roasting bag with pie weights and use that for part of the time. Then I removed it and allowed the crust to finish in the oven. This works perfectly for a "southern-style" crust where the "shrinking violet" syndrome seems always a risk. I have the temps and times if you'd like them. Carol